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Russia shoots down five militant drones near Syria’s Hmeimim airbase

This file picture shows Russian Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jets at the Russia-run Hmeimim airbase in Syria's western coastal province of Latakia. (Photo by AFP)

The Russian military forces have intercepted and targeted five unmanned aerial vehicles as they were flying in the skies near its strategic Hmeimim airbase in Syria's western coastal province of Latakia.

Syria’s official news agency SANA reported that the reconnaissance drones were hit mid-air and at a safe distance from the base on Monday evening.

There were no reports of causalities or material damage in the area.

The development came only a day after Russian air defenses at Hmeimim air base shot down two combat drones launched by foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants operating in Syria's de-escalation zone of Idlib.

The head of the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation, Major General Alexei Tsygankov, said the incident resulted in no casualties or material damage, and the operations at the base were not disrupted.

Late last week, the Russian military announced that its forces in Syria had downed a drone flying near Hmeimim airbase.

Russian media outlets reported that the drone, launched from territory controlled by Takfiri militants, had been shut down after it targeted the military site.

“On August 9, the air defense systems of the Hmeimim airbase detected an aerial drone launched from the territory controlled by illegal armed groups in the north of Latakia province,” the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation said in a statement.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.

Russia has been helping Syrian forces in ongoing battles across the conflict-plagued Arab country.

The Russian military assistance, which began in September 2015 at the official request of the Syrian government, has proved effective as Syrians continue to recapture key areas from Daesh and other terrorist groups across the country with the backing of Russian air cover.

On May 21, the General Command of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces announced in a statement that complete security was restored to Damascus and its countryside after al-Hajar al-Aswad district and al-Yarmouk camp had been totally purged of Daesh terrorists.

The development was preceded by flushing the Takfiris out of the towns of Yalda, Babbila and Beit Sahem on the southern outskirts of Damascus.


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